Stand By me - Ashes to ashes Dust to dust
by T.J. Wise
Summary: Elena could feel the edge of the abyss, the tendrils of insanity strangling her very heart. Her head was a mush pit of contradictions as she took note of Bonnie's words, of Caroline's protests, of the conversation between the brothers and of the boy that stubbornly wouldn't come back to life upstairs. It was too much… it was simply too much.(Rate changes to M after CH 8)
1. Ashes to ashes

**AN: last night's episode (S4 E15) was the first to move me to write in a real long time. I confess having to overcome the fear that TVD is maybe ending... I am not ready fro that yet... For better or for worse, There is my take on last night's episode. there were some beautiful bonding moments between the brothers...**

**Songs that go with this Fic: Adelle "Set fire to the rain", Pink and Nate Ruess " Just give me a reason"**

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**"Ashes to ashes"**

_"May time heal all wounds and fire purify our souls"_

Elena could feel the edge of the abyss, the tendrils of insanity reaching out to strangle her very heart. Her head was a mush pit of contradictions, as she took note of Bonnie's fanatical words, of Caroline's outraged protests, of the conversation between the brothers outside and the boy that stubbornly wouldn't come back to life upstairs.

_It was too much… it was simply too much._

But Damon was here, Damon would make it right like he always did…He would fix it… he would fix her… Because she couldn't lose another loved one, she couldn't lose her brother... No, not Jeremy too... Her parents, Jenna, Alaric, even John and Isobel… No, not Jeremy too...

Elena's dizzying thoughts were interrupted by the shrill ringing of the house phone. April's voice rang annoyingly clear asking for Jeremy. As an automaton Elena started by replying that he couldn't come to the phone right now… Then realization dug its nails into her entrails and twisted her guts until the words she dreaded spilled unbidden from her mouth.

"Jeremy is dead" she acknowledged to herself as the truth travelled to the receiver and exploded into Elena's heart. Elena put the phone down, painfully aware of all the poignant stares of her loved ones.

_Too much, it was simply too much… _

Elena turned and left all the looks of pity and concern behind her and ascended morosely the stairs to her brother's room.

With a morbid fear edging on the brink of hysteria Elena approached the bed and hesitantly, tremulously, removed the blanket that hid Jeremy's features. Her soul immediately exploded into fragments of herself, shards of grief inflicting maximum pain in every corner of her mind and heart… No, _she_ was pain… pain and grief were all that were left of her after losing her parents, her aunt, uncle, her almost uncle, herself and now this… her baby brother…

_It was too much…_

Elena heard Damon approaching cautiously, heard him speak words that tried to calm, to reassure, heard words spill from her own mouth, heard his reply, but none of it registered… Words didn't really matter at this time… nothing did in this house that had become a mortuary.

Damon carried Jeremy's body downstairs as Elena ordered – he would always do what she asked – and laid him down in the couch in the living room as Elena, Stefan and Caroline looked on.

Damon spared a moment to think about all the moments he had spent in that living room, about the tentative bond he had formed with the littlest of Gilberts... He had to side with his own brother on this, 162 years was nowhere near enough to become desensitized to loss, death and grief…

Damon's attention was brought back to the present when a rambling Elena started to frantically search the kitchen cupboards under a barrage of Caroline's frightened questions. Then he saw it and Damon realized how far down the well of despair Elena was. He wanted to weep for his love but this was the time for him to be strong.

Elena started to pour flammable liquid all over the house and over the body of her brother. She was like a mad woman, and when Elena struck the match, Caroline's fear hit an impossible crescendo, Stefan pleaded and reasoned and so did Damon, as Elena talked and justified but all that survived was the madness as the flame approached her fingers and she let it go. Time stopped as Damon rushed and caught the flame before it ignited the physical pyre that would mirror Elena's grief and would burn all the memories to the ground.

Elena broke finally down… _It was simply too much…_

The girl that lived for others, that wore her heart on her sleeve, whom now as a vampire felt even more empathy, more loss and grief… that girl was shattered… Damon held her in his arms as reality tore at her insides, as the knowledge of all the bodies of all the people she had loved piled high like a funereal march and suffocated her. Stefan pleaded for his brother to use the sire bond to alleviate Elena's suffering; Damon decided to do one better.

"Shut if off" he enunciated under the horrified gazes of Stefan and Caroline.

Elena looked up at Damon with teary eyes. Turmoil evident in her brown irises, compassion warm in his blue ones. Damon ordered, Elena obeyed and an eerie sense of detachment replaced the darkness that had consumed her only seconds ago. Elena stood taking in her surroundings in a mechanical way as everyone gave her some room to be alone.

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**AN: What do you think? R&R xoxo**


	2. Dust to dust

**AN: Second an last chapter . I hope you all enjoy it. **

**Songs that go with this Fic: Adelle "Set fire to the rain", Pink and Nate Ruess " Just give me a reason"**

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**"Dust to dust"**

As Elena walked around the house she grew up in, all she could feel was the void inside of her. She was like an outsider and none of this seemed to really matter. The feeling was alien but Elena welcomed it.

Caroline left, she needed time and room to grief the loss of Jeremy, of Tyler and of her childhood friend…

The brothers stood outside and Stefan couldn't help but question his older brother's decision; Elena was all heart… what would be left of her without her emotions? But words didn't really matter at this time… nothing did. Jeremy was dead, a vengeful Klaus and Sillas were on the loose, Bonnie had clearly gone mad and Elena had just lost her humanity with her brother's last breath.

A moment of clarity hit Stefan and he tried to put into words how much his own brother meant to him. Damon didn't need to hear the words to know, so he placed a placating hand on his brother's shoulder because he felt the same. They both loved Elena, they really did, but loosing each other would have had the same debilitating effect they just witnessed Elena go through. It is true that you can only strongly hate someone if you love them with equal devotional measure. The Salvatore brother's may have their good and bad moments, but the absolute truth remains: they are two halves of the same heart and soul, they depend on each other and count on each other's presence and they love each other above all and everyone else even if they can't quite say the words…

After all, words didn't really matter today… words are superfluous and stand prostrate at the doors of real heartache.

The sound of a match being struck inside the house assaulted their ears, making Damon and Stefan rush inside. Their pleading words feel on deaf ears, Elena was determined and unmoving. With a flick of her wrist she allowed her past and her life to catch up in flames.

Elena left her heart behind in the house where she grew up, abandoning it to the last touch of warmth it would know for the longest time. Dark days lay ahead as she embraced the void Damon had created for her. Having been governed by her feelings all her life, having none was liberating if somewhat devoid of flavour and something else she could not quite pin point. Elena knew that at some time in the future Damon would rescue her because he always did... But right now she couldn't care less and she embraced it…

Elena strode out of her home, out of the memories, away from the loss and grief and didn't look back - letting the fire consume it all. She looked at eternity square on and marched into tomorrow. Damon fell in step with her, used as he was to walking away from his own past.

Stefan however cast one last grief stricken look at the house… It had once held such promises for him… The promise of real love and an almost human life… Moments of joy and laughter… It had all been consumed by the darkness and all those promises seemed lost forever to him and to his brother and to the girl they both loved.

_It was too much…_

Stefan wondered how it came to this… Which parts were of it were fate, which were inevitable and which choices could have been made differently. Stefan also wondered if this was how it was always going to be; himself, his brother and a girl they loved equally, caught into an inescapable triangle of love, hurt and loyalty.

The younger Salvatore braced himself for what was to come. Elena's humanity was who Elena was… Who would she be now that she had lost that? He admired his brother for sacrificing the love he shared with her so that Elena could survive this… But Stefan feared the price they would all pay… Would she be like Katherine? Would they see a side to Elena that they never knew? Ripper? Slut? Insensitive Bitch? Stefan felt weak at the knees just thinking of how bad it could get but hoped against hope that he and his brother could save Elena and fix her.

Elena and Damon got into the Camaro, destination the Boarding House, Stefan in the back seat with his eyes still lost looking as the flames ate up the house behind them.

Damon looked stoically ahead in the same direction that Elena had fixed her uncaring gaze - he would always do what she needed of him – and in that moment Stefan realized the depth of his brother's devotion. Damon always placed Elena's needs first and maybe that is why he would be the one to save her… and the one to keep her... in the end. The knowledge hurt Stefan deep inside, but the love he felt for his brother and Elena was greater and he made a silent pledge to devote his time to helping both of them.

Stefan only hoped that the Elena he had loved, that he loved still, hadn't died in the pyre they just left behind. Maybe she would never be human again now that the cure was forever lost… But Stefan had to hope that she would be Elena again… Losing her forever would be too much…simply too much to bear.

Damon's thoughts echoed his brother's. He had done what he had to in order to save Elena from her own undoing. He had seem vampires succumb like she had, he had seen them reach into their own chest and rip their hearts out in their despair. Damon couldn't let Elena sink that far… even if he had to sacrifice their love for it… And when the time was right he would ask her to turn the switch back on and hopefully…Hopefully, the Elena he loved and that loved him in return would still be there…

Damon held on to that belief and braced himself for what was to come. The girl he loved was a shell of who she was and had lost her moral compass, his baby brother looked just as much on the edge of a break down. Sabrina had lost touch with reality, Caroline was near hysterics, he had no idea what Klaus, Rebecca and Sillas were up to. Come tomorrow everyone would know that Jeremy was dead and he had to erase the phone call from April's memory. For the tenth million time Damon wished Alaric was here to help him stir the Scooby gang into safety… Because truth be told, Damon felt weary and old beyond his years…

_Truth be told, it was simply too much even for him…_

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**AN: Please R&R so I know if you liked it or not. xoxo**


	3. Author's note

AN:

Hello everyone! First of all thank you for everyone that read, favored and reviewed the two first chapters of this story. Some of your reviews blew me away by their kindness and insight.

Alyssa C, a guest reviewer offered this helpful criticism"You should use your imagination and keep the story going, write Elena without humanity in your own way, before they show it. Use some of your own ideas instead of just writing what happened on the show."

I had intended to keep this a two chapter only because 1. I didn't want to detract from it AND 2. because I tend to be very affected by the episodes themselves. The later means that if writing a continuation to this story I would have to do so between season breaks like I did with my other stories because AU, AH can really bug me sometimes. HOWEVER, Alyssa's review set my mind into thinking how things would develop.

So here is what I am proposing: I will continue writing this story a chapter at a time. One chapter is going up today and I will try to publish the next one before S4 E16 and then i will see if i can continue the story or not.

Beware that chapter's 1 and 2 were very well behaved as far as language and smut content goes. I make no such promise for the chapters that are about to come. You have been warned.

_Bring it on!_


	4. Stand by me: Act II

**STAND BY ME: ACT II**

_**...Previously on the Vampire Diaries**_

_Stefan wondered how it came to this… Which parts of it were fate, which were inevitable and which choices could have been made differently. Stefan also wondered if this was how it was always going to be; himself, his brother and a girl they loved equally, caught into an inescapable triangle of love, hurt and loyalty._

_The younger Salvatore braced himself for what was to come. Elena's humanity was who Elena was… Who would she be now that she had lost that? He admired his brother for sacrificing the love he shared with her so that Elena could survive this… But Stefan feared the price they would all pay… Would she be like Katherine? Would they see a side to Elena that they never knew? Ripper? Slut? Insensitive Bitch? Stefan felt weak at the knees just thinking of how bad it could get but hoped against hope that he and his brother could save Elena and fix her._

_Elena and Damon got into the Camaro, destination the Boarding House, Stefan in the back seat with his eyes still lost looking as the flames ate up the house behind them._

_Damon looked stoically ahead in the same direction that Elena had fixed her uncaring gaze - he would always do what she needed of him – and in that moment Stefan realized the depth of his brother's devotion. Damon always placed Elena's needs first and maybe that is why he would be the one to save her… and the one to keep her... in the end. The knowledge hurt Stefan deep inside, but the love he felt for his brother and Elena was greater and he made a silent pledge to devote his time to helping both of them._

_Stefan only hoped that the Elena he had loved, that he loved still, hadn't died in the pyre they just left behind. Maybe she would never be human again now that the cure was forever lost… But Stefan had to hope that she would be Elena again… Losing her forever would be too much…simply too much to bear._

_Damon's thoughts echoed his brother's. He had done what he had to in order to save Elena from her own undoing. He had seem vampires succumb like she had, he had seen them reach into their own chest and rip their hearts out in their despair. Damon couldn't let Elena sink that far… even if he had to sacrifice their love for it… And when the time was right he would ask her to turn the switch back on and hopefully…Hopefully, the Elena he loved and that loved him in return would still be there…_

_Damon held on to that belief and braced himself for what was to come. The girl he loved was a shell of who she was and had lost her moral compass, his baby brother looked just as much on the edge of a break down. Sabrina had lost touch with reality, Caroline was near hysterics, he had no idea what Klaus, Rebecca and Sillas were up to. Come tomorrow everyone would know that Jeremy was dead and he had to erase the phone call from April's memory. For the tenth million time Damon wished Alaric was here to help him stir the Scooby gang into safety… Because truth be told, Damon felt weary and old beyond his years…_

_Truth be told, it was simply too much even for him…_

Elena, Damon and Stefan drove to the boarding house under a pregnant silence. Each of them caught in their own thoughts, worries and predictions of what was to come. All three vampires occupied the same car but they were as disconnected from each other as if they were on separate planets.

Elena looked on into the night, her mind free from the chains of grief, loss and worry that had kept her tortured and bound since her parents had gone off the wicked Wickery Bridge. She felt like it was almost like going back to the self centered teenager she had once been, the wild girl that could match Caroline on her worse days and give her a run for her money. The key difference however, was that this time there were no nagging recriminations in Elena's head, no one to be accountable to, not even herself ; a liberating feeling bloomed in her dead chest.

Had Stefan and Damon been looking Elena's way, they would have seen the mischievous smile coloring her features as she realized all the fun she was about to have. After all, it was like getting a "no judgement" free pass because, let's face it, whatever she did they would all blame it on the switch or the grief or the fangs.

Oh… It was too much of a good opportunity to miss… To let loose, to go wild, to push all boundaries… To be reckless, to be wild, to revel... Beyond the promise of freedom and fun lay the fact that Elena not only couldn't care less, but that she _didn't want_ to care anyway. She could feel the "Elena that was" caged somewhere inside of her. The whinny, grief stricken, heart governed Elena was still there but pushed to a dark corner. She remembered someone, somewhere saying that the switch was a fallacy and she could understand what they meant now. It wasn't a complete switch off. No, you could distance yourself from your feelings, that much was true. You could put them in a box inside a box inside a box and let them rattle in a dark corner of your mind but that was the extent of it. The truth was that you were still aware of them but you could _choose_ not to be a puppet at their hands and in that very fact lay a vampire's freedom.

Elena was more than ready to cut her strings loose… She needed a time out from her own judgmental subconscious, from having an internal battle of which Salvatore to choose, from martyring herself for others, from being fixed by her ex-boyfriend, from being kept at arm's length from Damon for her own good. Fuck being good… Elena wanted. NO, scratch that. Elena needed to embrace the bad and go all the way down the rabbit hole whilst doing it.

Elena bit her smiling lips with glee. She looked at her own dark reflection in the car window pane and smiled more broadly.

"_Bring it on" - _she told herself-_ "Bring it on."_

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**AN: Here it is, for better or for worse, here it is. R & R Please. I have the next chapter sketched in my head and am hoping to write and publish it before Thursday if I get good feedback from this new chapter. xoxo **


	5. Catch me if you dare

**AN: And another chapter for your delight.**

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Damon parked his beloved Camaro in front of the Boarding House. Elena didn't miss a beat and was out of the car before the engine was cut off. Stefan and Damon moved more slowly as if laden by the recent events and hesitant of the murky future awaiting them. The events of the day had taken a lot out of the two brothers and walking around on eggshells not further upset the girl they loved was beyond tiring.

Elena pushed the front door open, the creaking noise echoing ominously in the big empty house. Old Elena, human Elena, would have found this a fitting metaphor for whom she had become, as it happens, this Elena didn't even pause to consider it. Damon and Stefan however did as they watched her every move wearily in a silent agreement between the brothers to keep her safe.

Under their watchful eyes, Elena divested herself of her winter gear, tossing her coat and her scarf unceremoniously, messily, over the couch. As she made her way to the drinks cart and poured herself a large dose of some vintage amber liquid from Damon's private collection, the man in question cleaned up after her. He placed the coat and scarf in the closet as if he had done it a thousand of times before. This act of domesticity was strangely at odds with what one would expect from Damon… That is, if you didn't know him that well. Stefan however knew how tidy his brother was in principle and how much he was inclined to take care of things for Elena.

Unexpectedly Elena's voice broke the silence that had last the best part of the last hour.

"So what now?"- she asked somewhat petulantly as she turned around, glass in hand, to stare up and down at the brothers.

Damon quirked an eye brow but it was Stefan than replied.

"What do you mean?" - he asked cautiously.

Elena huffed exaggeratedly and slowly approached him making Damon _very_ weary.

"Well…" – she pouted and batted her eyelashes seductively –"I'm bored and a little peckish…"

Stefan swallowed loudly and stammered.

"I-I'll get you a blood bag then." – he managed to get out and get away before Elena's fingers managed to find purchase on his shirt.

Damon crossed his arms and eyed Elena suspiciously. She cast one appraising look at him, cocked her head sideways and gave him an A+ rendition of one of his smirks.

"Are you going to run too?" – she asked breathless – "Or are you going to show me a good time?" - her lips quirked a little further.

Damon didn't even have time to blink before Elena had jumped him and smashed his body against the nearest wall. Her hungry mouth attacking his, her hands messing his hair as her body urged him to respond with equal hunger.

Elena rubbing her luscious body against him did have an effect on Damon and for a moment he growled under her insistent lips making her even more forceful and determined. Damon snared one arm around Elena's tiny waist and tangled a strong fist in her hair only to yank her head back. The action increased the friction of their clothed cores against each other and Elena let a desperate moan escape her swollen lips.

Damon, not completely oblivious to how they were touching but desperate to keep his girl on the straight and narrow, bent over her form and hissed hotly in her ear.

"What are you trying to achieve Elena?"

The girl in question moved her hips up and wrapped one leg around Damon's waist, grinding against his obvious erection with lustful abandon.

"Can't you tell lover?" – she purred and laid little wet kisses on Damon's neck.

Having Elena all seductress, hot and ready rubbing against him was literally undoing Damon. His hold on his control was slipping fast and the lower part of his body was unabashedly betraying him by counteracting Elena's hip movements with his own.

"Ahem" – Stefan's awkwardly interrupted the "clothed sex" interlude, making the other two vampires' growl at him –"Hmm. I brought you the blood?" – Stefan offered extending the arm holding the blood bag apologetically but not really feeling any remorse.

Elena let out a little huff as Damon brought her back to standing. She practically yanked the bag out of Stefan's hand but made sure to stay invading his personal space whilst drinking it. The term "eye fucking" reached a whole new meaning in that moment - a meaning that an aroused, sexually frustrated, Damon was finding really hard to appreciate.

Oblivious to Damon's rising anger, Elena finished her blood bag. Her daring eyes were firmly on her ex-boyfriend, mocking his choice of diet and beckoning him to let the ripper out to play. Her dainty little fingers wiped off the bloody corners of her mouth suggestively. Her eyelashes fluttered and Elena reached forth to touch her bloody digits to Stefan's parted lips.

The closeness of the human blood mixed with Elena's actions caused an unbidden moan to escape Stefan's lips as his tongue, of its own volition, came out to swipe at the ambrosia coating her skin. Elena's eyes narrowed as the younger Salvatore lips locked around her fingers and sucked them voluptuously as if his mouth was sucking somewhere else all together.

Damon had observed the exchange and was warring between reason and his base instincts. Reason told him that she was a vampire, that vampires are lustful, sex driven creatures without morals _especially_ without their humanity switched on. His instincts reminded him that he was also a vampire and therefore lustful, territorial and, at this time, with a severe case of blue balls. Damon chose to listen to his instincts.

Damon's growl startled both Stefan and Elena out of their passionate moment. When they turned around to stare at the older Salvatore his stance was somewhat menacing and his fangs where fully out. On mere instinct Stephan mirrored his brother but Elena's reaction took them both by surprise.

A peal of laughter full of glee escaped the younger vampire's lips. Her dark eyes twinkled and her body buzzed with a palpable nervous energy. Biting her bottom lip carnally, Elena exchanged a heated gaze with one brother and then the other.

"Come and get me boys." – she whispered wantonly before disappearing in a blur through the front door and into the night –"If you can!" – her taunt and her giggles echoed in her wake.

Damon stared at Stefan who stared back at Damon, a millisecond passing before they were both hot on her heels in pursuit.

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**AN: How do you like it? Should I continue? R & R. xoxo**


	6. The chase

**An:Hello, hello! I'm thoroughly enjoying writing the continuation for this fic. For those there were upset because Elena was all Katherine like in the last chapter please read on the next two chapters and then maybe you will feel better about it. :) xoxo**

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**Stand by me: The chase**

_**Previously on the Vampire Diaries**_

_Damon's growl startled both Stefan and Elena out of their passionate moment. When they turned around to stare at the older Salvatore his stance was somewhat menacing and his fangs where out. On instinct Stephan mirrored his brother but Elena's reaction took them both by surprise._

_A peal of laughter full of glee escaped the younger vampire. Her dark eyes twinkled and her body buzzed with a nervous energy. Biting her bottom lip carnally, Elena exchanged a heated gaze with one brother and then the other._

"_Come and get me boys." – she whispered wantonly before disappearing in a blur through the front door and into the night –"If you can!" – her taunt and her giggles echoed in the night._

_Damon stared at Stefan who stared back at Damon, a millisecond passing before they were both hot on her heels in pursuit._

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Elena was all speed and sinews as she ran graciously through the dark woods as the wind kissed her blurring form. She stopped randomly here and there making a point to rub her skin or blood against the nearest tree or rock laying out a labyrinthine trail for Damon and Stefan to pursue. Her actions were frantic, fueled by the glee bubbling inside of her and the natural adrenaline caused by being chased. Elena had to repeatedly still the unbidden carefree laughter that threatened to expose her location, but the exhilaration still coursed wildly in her was loving every minute of this intoxicating sense of freedom; of having no boundaries, limitations or regrets.

.

.

.

Damon and Stefan cut through the night at full throttle, side by side in the steadfast pursuit of Elena. They ran on instinct, their actions fueled by lust at first, true, but, with every purposeful stride, fear and worry tamed the animal inside and made them focus on the multitude of debacles that could involve the girl they loved.

That Elena was acting out of character was a given; that kind of thing happens if you take away the most defining personal trait of a person with a snap of your fingers. The brothers also were uncertain of how much awareness or unawareness Elena had of having lost Jeremy and how that would affect her actions. Add to that the fact that she was a baby vamp who just a second ago was acting creepily like her nemesis doppelganger and the brothers were borderline hysterical with apprehension. Not that anyone would know for, even you could make out their expressions as they tore through the underbrush, pausing here and there to identify the spots Elena had scented, they remained stoic and focused; united in this one goal of finding and keeping Elena safe - it was most endearing.

The brothers exchanged glances, furrowed eyebrows the only outer sign of their confusion, as they identified each new marker. Neither of them were sure as to why Elena was taking pains to leave a distinct trail but they followed it doggedly nonetheless. Neither of them had much choice anyway. Elena was in trouble and it was their instinct, sworn duty and quasi compulsion to do anything in their power to rescue her - that was how whipped and enamored they had become.

Eventually it was clear that Elena had been purposely steering them towards, albeit in a convoluted path, to the Mystic Falls namesake waterfall. Truth be told both Stefan and Damon had expected some symbolic gesture like this. Elena's emotions might be switched off but the girl was still an aspiring writer in essence, and writer's like their symbolism, lyricism and all their plain "isms". To be honest, they had expected her to run to Wickery Bridge since Elena seemed to view the place as her permanent exit door form this life… Not that anyone could really blame her for that absurd conclusion.

As Damon and Stefan approached the quarry, images wove themselves into each brother's subconscious, exploding in Technicolor and taking over their minds even if their bodies remained steadfast in their pursuit.

Stefan's mind cast back to the first time he had been with Elena in this very place; some silly high school gathering with underage drinking. He remembered how Elena had beamed at him when she noticed he had actually come; their talk on the bridge; how he had promised that she would not always be sad… That promise now felt like ashes on his mouth… He had been so very wrong in his predictions…

Damon's mind unearthed some of his lucid dreams; deep buried wishes he had let lay dormant at the back of his mind. He had dared to hope that one day he would bring a willing Elena here and they would intertwine their hands and walk side by side feeling the falls' mist caress their smiling faces. In his dreams she was his and he was hers, both enamored with each other, no lingering doubts about which brother to choose or if she was only there because of a pesky sire bond. No, in Damon's dreams, and in his wishful thinking, Elena was with him both mentally and physically and the only fight left was about how to make her as happy as she made him.

The brother's finally reached the end of the trail Elena marked for them. They were at the gorge that overlooked the falls and at the place were Elena's trail ran cold. They sniffed around trying to catch her scent but there was none to be found. Damon and Stefan exchanged bewildered looks, then Damon inclined his head to the east and Stefan understood and confirmed with a nod. If they would have had more time they could have appreciated how seamlessly they were able to agree and work together when there was a need for it; in times of crisis they always found their brotherly bond to be their most powerful asset, even if life and girls made them forget it sometimes.

Without a word the brothers set off in different directions; Stefan to west, Damon to the East. They would search all night if they must, but it was paramount to find Elena and ensure she was safe and under control.

Nothing else mattered to them in this moment.

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**AN: So, what do you think? Any thoughts? Next chapter coming very soon. xoxo**


	7. Trickster or Vixen

**AN: Ok, here is another chapter and it might be the last considering that there is another episode of TVD tonight and I am unlikely to be able to continue writing AU after that. The only shame is there I had a dream sequence DElena smutty scene in mind that I couldn't fit into this chapter... Oh well, i will just have to plug it into another story if this ends up being the last chapter of this one.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Stand by me: Trickster or Vixen**

_**Previously on the Vampire Diaries**_

_The brother's finally reached the end of the trail Elena marked for them. They were at the gorge that overlooked the falls and at the place were Elena's trail ran cold. They sniffed around trying to catch her scent but there was none to be found. Damon and Stefan exchanged bewildered looks, then Damon inclined his head to the east and Stefan understood and confirmed with a nod. If they would have had more time they could have appreciated how seamlessly they were able to agree and work together when there was a need for it; in times of crisis they always found their brotherly bond to be their most powerful asset, even if life and girls made them forget it sometimes._

_Without a word the brothers set off in different directions; Stefan to west, Damon to the East. They would search all night if they must, but it was paramount to find Elena and ensure she was safe and under control._

_Nothing else mattered to them in this moment._

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Miles away, Elena stepped out of Damon's palatial shower, drying her hair with one of his velvety towels and smiling at her private little joke.

Damon and Stefan walking on egg shells around her earlier this evening was unnerving and quite frankly annoying. Since she had turned, Stefan had been like that, waiting for his broken ex-girlfriend toy to combust or fall apart. Of course this came as no surprise considering how he had been set on treating her like a china doll when she was a human. However, having Damon join Stefan tonight on the "watch out she might break" attitude really pissed her off.

Elena wasn't that breakable anymore and the brothers needed to stop with their incessant coddling. They couldn't - they hadn't been able to - protect her from everything and everyone and it was dam well time they learned that she was not something they could contain or control. Elena was her own person and without the weight of the world on her shoulders she was ready to show them exactly who she was and what she was capable of.

Elena changed into her PJ's and climbed into Damon's bed; sire bond or no sire bond, Elena was with him now even if everyone thought that she would go running back to Stefan at the first chance – and you could put Stefan firmly on the list of those that believed that… and, sadly, Damon too. Elena was tempted to call Damon an idiot for not believing in her feelings for him… but she knew things were a lot more complicated than that and that life had jaded him so badly that it might take all eternity to convince him of how genuine her feelings were. After all she had acted on them before she had turned right? She huffed annoyed. Why couldn't that smart ass of a gorgeous man remember that? The kiss in Denver had been pretty f**ktanstic as far as she could recall...

A little wicked smile formed in Elena's lips and she reached out to her phone, typing a quick message to "her boys".

"_Any luck finding me yet?"_ – she taunted.

Two replies arrived instantly:

"_Where the f**k are you?"_ and _"Elena, please let us talk to you?" _

The girl in question laughed with delight. Firstly because they were so different from each other and that was an essential part of their complimentary charms, secondly because her plan to send them in a wild goose chase had apparently worked.

"Reading Twilight wasn't so stupid after all!" – she mused out loud satisfied that her plan had worked.

Earlier, when she decided to get their brooding gloomy selves out of her hair Elena remembered that crossing a river masked a character's scent in the vampire book and she decided to try it. To that end she had left a very easy to follow trail to the falls for them to sniff out and then she had plunged into the water and swam for quite a while until she was able to leave the river far enough away that they wouldn't be able to track her. Elena had then reached the highway, played damsel in distress, hitched a ride so that she would cut off her scent trail again in case they found it, and had the compelled driver drop her off at the boarding house. Ok, before she let the driver go she had snatched, bitten and then erased his memory. But she didn't feel that guilty since she had been very sweet about it, even letting him grope her a little for his own pleasure.

Elena blushed mildly at the thought because it made her feel a little bit naughty. Well, it wasn't as if she had cheated on Damon or anything… Plus she had seen him draped around all kinds of willing female bodies so…

Her phone rang and Damon's name flashed on the screen. Elena smiled and texted him back.

"_Do you think I am that naïve?;) If I answer you will have a better idea of where I am by the background noise. No cheating Mr Salvatore!Tut tut"_

_As she pressed "send", _Elena thought to herself "_Oh goody!",_ not only he was still looking for her but now he might even think that she was in a crowed place which couldn't be the furthest from the truth. She laughed in delight, this was fun!

It had been so easy earlier to play on their fears that she would behave just like Katherine. Truth be told, it had also annoyed her a little that they thought that was even a possibility. Just because she had her emotions turned off at the moment it didn't mean that she immediately turned into a super slut! Gee, fine, they shared genes and looks... But Katherine had shown her true colors from the very start, sharing the brothers from the get go. It was almost as if they weren't taking into account the entire mental struggle she had gone through! Couldn't they tell them apart by now? Those two could be thick when they wanted to… Elena had enjoyed watching them squirm when she put up the fake Katherine facade! Well, she lost a bit of her bravado and direction when Damon rubbed against her but thankfully Stefan's cock blocking abilities were still intact and she managed to push the ruse through.

Maybe searching for her all night long would teach the brother's one of two things and they would stop being so dam protective!

With a little satisfied snicker, Elena turned the lights off and snuggled into Damon's pillow, falling asleep almost instantly.

Out there in the night, two brothers continued their frenzied search for her, none the wiser to the fact that she was tucked safe and sound under their very own roof.

* * *

**AN: ROFL! Oh ye of little faith, you all thought that Elena was going to channel Katherine the Queen B***h! Tut tut. R & R please?**


	8. Mind games

**AN: I wrote and posted this chapter on 03-05-13 but apparently it confused a lot of people.** **So I decided to ****REWRITE**** the chapter to try to avoid torturing you all.**

**BEWARE, in this chapter we are taking a detour from Funville into Smutville. I hope you all don't mind !;)**

**WARNING: RATE CHANGES TO M AFTER THIS CHAPTER !**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Stand by me: Mind games**

_**Previously on the Vampire Diaries**_

_It had been so easy earlier to play on their fears that she would behave just like Katherine. Truth be told, it had also annoyed her a little that they thought that was even a possibility. Just because she had her emotions turned off at the moment it didn't mean that she immediately turned into a super slut! Gee, fine, they shared genes and looks... But Katherine had shown her true colors from the very start, sharing the brothers from the get go. It was almost as if they weren't taking into account the entire mental struggle she had gone through! Couldn't they tell them apart by now? Those two could be thick when they wanted to… Elena had enjoyed watching them squirm when she put up the fake Katherine facade! Well, she lost a bit of her bravado and direction when Damon rubbed against her but thankfully Stefan's cock blocking abilities were still intact and she managed to push the ruse through._

_Maybe searching for her all night long would teach the brother's one of two things and they would stop being so dam protective!_

_With a little satisfied snicker, Elena turned the lights off and snuggled into Damon's pillow, falling asleep almost instantly._

_Out there in the night, two brothers continued their frenzied search for her, none the wiser to the fact that she was tucked safe and sound under their very own roof._

Slowly Elena became aware of her surroundings, the water felt welcoming and right as it lapped around her naked form. The moon hovered above, generously casting her light down, making the night look almost mystical.

Elena smiled knowingly. This was too perfect a night to be real so she was certain that she was dreaming this moment. Elena absorbed the calmness surrounding her; the stillness of the late hour that soothed her mind and soul. The night woodland animals rustled in the forest far away on the other shore, the sky was a carpet of twinkling stars and she was allowed to simply be - such a rare thing these days...

She ducked under the water to wet her long hair; it was almost divine being able to be this indifferent to the water's temperature. With a chuckle, Elena remembered when Damon had pushed her into the lake when she had gone chasing Stefan with Ric in the Appalachians.

_"Stubborn ass of vampire"_ she mumbled to herself but it still made her smile. Damon always made her smile. That stubborn ass had done *so much* to keep her safe and alive... Sometimes Elena felt more guilty than sorry for dying because Damon seemed to be way more disappointed at having failed than she was at being dead.

Then again, he had adapted to her being a vampire rather well, Elena acknowledged with a smirk. Back at the island she had been a little surprised at finding that Damon would not be taking the cure... Well, she knew he liked being a vampire, that wasn't news, but she had naively assumed that he would follow wherever she would go - clearly he would not. It sounded harsh, but Elena understood... She had been a vampire for less than a month and she wasn't really all that keen on the idea of letting go of this feeling of power, of being unbreakable and of being able to feel so much more. To go back to being a weak human seemed unthinkable...

However, when the chance to go back to being human again presented itself, Elena didn't see how she had the right to refuse taking the cure. Not with Jeremy – Elena took a deep breath to distance herself from his memory -, Stefan and Bonnie all pressuring her so much. They demanded that she should want to be human with their eyes, their deeds, their words... their sacrifices... Elena was clearly damaged in their opinion. They clearly believed with every fiber of their beings that she needed to be rescued from this "vampire curse."

Elena snorted derisively at the unwelcomed idea. She didn't feel broken, temporarily maladjusted maybe, but she was a baby vamp, she simply needed time to come into her fangs! After all, Stefan had been a vampire for over 162 years and he was still maladjusted! Very maladjusted!

A burst of laughter escaped her mischievous lips at the amusing thought! "Stefan, the maladjusted eternal vampire teenager! They should make a TV show about that!" she concluded with mirth.

A gentle ripple in the water made her smile broaden and her teeth dig into her bottom lip wantonly. Her skin tingled as the signs of his presence invaded all her vampire senses. Strong arms enveloped her from behind and brought her gently against his firm naked chest. His lips ghosted up and down the length of her slender neck and Elena quivered with want.

"What's so funny?" - Damon asked huskily.

Elena turned around in his embrace and beamed at the man she loved.

"Everything; nothing." - she shrugged smiling dismissively -"I am glad you could join me." - she breathed –"Is this your doing?" – she enquired waving her hand around but without ever stopping their eye connection.

"We aim to please Miss Gilbert" - he smirked cocking his head.

"And please you _do_ Mr Salvatore" - she quipped back - "It's peaceful here. Thank you. I needed this."- she beamed at him.

"I wanted to have a place where you could be yourself. A dream sounded as good as place as ever."- Damon explained –"Plus," - Damon leaned in and placed a pillow soft kiss on her lips –"I wanted to do this."

Elena tilted her head bashfully – "So how much trouble am I in?" - she prodded with a coy smile.

"Heaps" - he answered wriggling his eye brows -"Mounts and heaps you little elusive devil!" - Damon proclaimed as he grazed his teeth at her lobe.

"Maybe I should get in trouble more often then." - she let out with a little whimper -"You do make it sound like such a delicious thing..."

"Not nearly as delicious as you are Elena..." - Damon replied teasingly.

"Prove it." - she dared and was met with a delectable smirk.

Damon's hand tangled into Elena's brown locks as the other hand spread over her lower back and pressed her willing form against his evident erection.

"Proof enough?" he grinned seductively as she gasped lustfully.

Damon never got a reply as Elena literally jumped on him and plunged his mouth with a carnal hunger to match their need for blood. Not to be outdone, Damon responded in kind, angling her face so that he could deepen the kiss as Elena effortlessly wrapped her toned legs around his waist.

Damon was all for taking it slow and reveling in every nuance of the sexual act, but he felt as famished as Elena was for contact and bonding - the worry of searching for her for hours making him need to lay claim to her in the most primal of ways. Elena let out a deep moan when she felt Damon enter her body. She had been eager and ready but the intrusion of his member in such a decisive matter escalated the pleasure to a new peak. Without thinking twice, Elena's fangs came out and she plunged them voraciously into Damon's neck, the red blood coating her tongue and speeding her already eager counter trusts.

As he drove his erection home, Damon felt Elena's folds envelop and contract against his cock and a sense of relief and belonging filled his every pore. When she sunk her pointy teeth into his skin, a cataclysmic bliss rippled through him, causing Damon to speed up his trusts and to sink his own teeth in her swan like neck.

The blood rush was dizzying, the physical pleasure heightening with every pull of blood; their bodies collided and spiraled into orgasmic heights as they wrapped themselves possessively in each other's arms trying to fuse themselves into one.

Damon and Elena held each other tightly as the post-orgasmic sensation dwindled. A joyful smile played at the corner of their mouths as they looked into each other's eyes with a devotion to match most beatific experiences in this world.

"Hi"- Elena offered coyly.

"Hi yourself." - Damon replied in an amused tone.

"We really should do that more often..." - Elena said unabashed.

Damon tossed his head back, chuckling with delight. When his gaze returned to hers he murmured quietly.

"Elena Gilbert, I love you" - Damon confessed, his eyes full of intensity that set Elena's heart immediately ablaze.

Elena's answering smile was blinding as she professed her own feelings.

"And I love _**you**_."- she made sure to emphasize the last word so as not to leave any doubt in his heart –"Switch on or off, I know that I love you"

"I know that babe"- he leaned against her forehead – "I wish I could keep you safe from all the pain Elena, but you and I know that the switch is a fallacy." – Damon breathed in wearily –"All it allows us is to distance ourselves from our emotions and pain and choose what we want or not feel. But the feelings are always there, behind that make believe door whether you choose to feel them or not."

"I know…" – Elena whispered quietly – "But I don't want feel them now… At least, I don't want feel anything other than this, than us…"

"I understand." – Damon replied as he tightened his arms around her and kissed her with all the devotion he could muster.

* * *

**AN: Ok, I hope this made more sense now :) And there was still some fun in there :) R & R and let me know how you like it please? xoxo**


	9. Confrontations

**AN: So here is the next chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

**Stand by me: Confrontations**

_**Previously on the Vampire Diaries**_

Slowly Elena became aware of her surroundings, the water felt welcoming and right as it lapped around her naked form. The moon hovered above, generously casting her light down, making the night look almost mystical.

Elena smiled knowingly. This was too perfect a night to be real so she was certain that she was dreaming this moment. Elena absorbed the calmness surrounding her; the stillness of the late hour that soothed her mind and soul. The night woodland animals rustled in the forest far away on the other shore, the sky was a carpet of twinkling stars and she was allowed to simply be - such a rare thing these days...

A gentle ripple in the water made her smile broaden and her teeth dig into her bottom lip wantonly. Her skin tingled as the signs of his presence invaded all her vampire senses. Strong arms enveloped her from behind and brought her gently against his firm naked chest. His lips ghosted up and down the length of her slender neck and Elena quivered with want.

(...)

"Elena Gilbert, I love you" - Damon confessed, his eyes full of intensity that set Elena's heart immediately ablaze.

Elena's answering smile was blinding as she professed her own feelings.

"And I love _**you**_."- she made sure to emphasize the last word so as not to leave any doubt in his heart –"Switch on or off, I know that I love you"

"I know that babe"- he leaned against her forehead – "I wish I could keep you safe from all the pain Elena, but you and I know that the switch is a fallacy." – Damon breathed in wearily –"All it allows us is to distance ourselves from our emotions and pain and choose what we want or not feel. But the feelings are always there, behind that make believe door whether you choose to feel them or not."

"I know…" – Elena whispered quietly – "But I don't want feel them now… At least, I don't want feel anything other than this, than us…"

"I understand." – Damon replied as he tightened his arms around her and kissed her with all the devotion he could muster.

* * *

Stefan entered the boarding house feeling despondent, weary and defeated. He had searched all the woodlands and forests, the school grounds and the falls, even the cemetery and Elena's family cabin to no avail. Elena was nowhere to be found. It was past 4 am and he was out of his mind with worry. He had tried reaching his brother but the phone kept going to voice mail, so his last hope was to come back home and wait for the two people he loved the most to come home.

As he walked to the drinking cart, Stefan's enhanced hearing alerted him to the presence of his brother. Fuelled by anger and curiosity, Stefan blurred to his brother's room ready to scream and shout only to be greeted with the sight of Elena's sleeping form wrapped around Damon's body like a band aid. He wished he could have growled them awake for he was certainly furious, but Stefan knew better than asking for answers from Elena, so he decided to wake his brother instead.

Stefan approached the bed tried to shake Damon awake. When his brother remained unresponsive, Stefan decided to enter the dream.

.

.

.

Damon linked his and Elena's hands together under the water. They exchanged longing looks, fire dancing is his blue eyes for a second before his shoulders tensed and his brow wrinkled. Before Elena could comprehend the sudden mood shift Damon addressed the night.

"Seriously Stefan?" - Elena's wide eyes snapped to the shore to the form of the other vampire -"Have you _not_ heard of privacy?" - Damon teased but his voice took a menacing tone as he turned his gaze on this brother -"You are _not_ invited to this party baby _brother_." - Damon snarled.

Stefan, who was weary and had been itching for a fight, replied with one of his bone chilling ripper laughs and Elena couldn't help but cringe at the sound.

"What is it brother? Are you afraid that now that her switch is off, Elena will want to have some fun with me too?" - Stefan taunted malevolently.

Damon left Elena's arms and sped like a bullet out of the water and collided against Stefan's body, pinning him like a bug to the nearest tree.

"TAKE. THAT. BACK!" - Damon bellowed angrily.

"So touchy!" - Stefan mocked unimpressed.

Damon's rage bubbled up and his hand wrapped around his brother's throat, constricting strongly. Stefan struggled against the chocking hold until a softer and insistent hand was placed over his brother's one.

Damon looked sideways at the girl standing next to him. Elena didn't dare say a word, but her eyes spoke volumes and they pleaded for him to stop. When Damon loosened his grip on his sibling's throat, Stefan crumpled to the floor.

Elena's hand wrapped firmly around Damon's as he brought him to her, a silent reassurance that Stefan's words were nothing but empty treats.

Damon looked at her with thankful eyes, that is, until he saw her state of undress. Elena noticed the new mood swing but the question died in her lips when clothes magically materialized and covered her nakedness and Damon's own. She raised a questioning eyebrow and he smiled cheekily back.

Elena looked around but Stefan's form was nowhere to be found and, when Damon cocked his head motioning for them to leave, Elena nodded in agreement

.

.

.

Elena opened her eyes slowly, still smiling at their little dream interlude when Damon's room slowly came into view. Feeling his chest under her face, she looked up to see the man in question lazily lying fully clothed against his headboard, smirk in place as his head rested on his arm.

"Hi you" - he smiled knowingly -"Pleasant dreams?"

Elena giggled in delight and stretched to lay a kiss on his luscious lips. Damon received the affection willingly. Halfway through the kiss Elena suddenly gasped in realization.

"Stefan?" - she asked wide eyed and followed Damon's guarded gaze to the floor where her ex-boyfriend was in a crumpled heap. Elena cocked her head in worry, clearly the altercation in the dream had a real life counterpart since Stefan was sporting an ugly choke mark around his neck and was lying unconscious next to the bed

"Will he be ok?" - she asked panicking slightly.

"He'll live" - Damon answered in a bored tone as he drew soothing patterns across her skin.

Elena looked at Stefan for a second longer before shrugging her shoulders and letting a teasing smile grace her lips.

"Well then" - she gave Damon a heavy lidded gaze - "What should we do until he wakes up?"

Damon's sour mood evaporated, an infectious smile taking over his glorious face.

"Oh I can think of a few things Miss Gilbert." - Damon wiggled his eyebrows as he flopped Elena over to the shrill sounds of her laughter.

* * *

**AN: Ok, ****hopefully now everyone understood that the water scene happens in a dream created by Damon, that Stefan was physically present in the room and did choke baby bro in real life rendering him unconcious.  
This may or may not be the last chapter to this story. The only plot continuation I can think would lead to a threesome and i am not sure i want to take this story that way. I like Elena, finally, belonging to Damon.**:) R & R and let me know how you liked it please? Also, today I will be publishing a new FanFic that starts from where S4 E16 ended. You can view it as a continuation fot his one incase this is is indeed the last 


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